Je prends un billet aller-retour.

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Breakdown of Je prends un billet aller-retour.

• prendre: to take
• le billet aller-retour: the return ticket

Questions & Answers about Je prends un billet aller-retour.

Why is it je prends and not je prend?

Because prends is the 1st person singular form of the verb prendre in the present tense.

Present tense of prendre:

• je prends = I take / I’m taking
• tu prends
• il/elle/on prend
• nous prenons
• vous prenez
• ils/elles prennent

So with je, you must say je prends.

What does prendre mean here? I thought it meant to take, not to buy.

Yes, prendre literally often means to take, but in French it is also commonly used in contexts like booking, ordering, or choosing something.

In this sentence, je prends un billet aller-retour means something like:

• I’ll take a return ticket
• I’m getting a round-trip ticket
• I’m booking a round-trip ticket

So it does not always mean physically taking something in your hand.

Why is it un billet?

Because billet is a masculine noun in French.

So:

• un billet = a ticket
• le billet = the ticket

If the noun were feminine, you would use une instead.

What is the difference between and in French?